With the Michigan race rescheduled, the NASCAR community finds itself with some extra time on its hands. The recent Goodyear tire experiment led to a chaotic finish in Richmond, but now fans are shifting their focus back to another hot topic: increasing horsepower, which many believe could reduce parity in races. Denny Hamlin has been a vocal advocate for this change, and a resurfaced race memory is fueling the debate among fans even more.

Horsepower has seen a downward trend since the 2000s. The main issue has been safety, which has picked up in precision with every Cup Series car introduced. However, old times die hard, and fans cannot help but look back at faster more thrilling times.

A few decades ago, horsepower levels had once reached 900 hp. That started to decrease and was around 750 hp in later years. Then the Next-Gen car was released in 2022 and it was cut down to 670 hp. From then on, clamorous protests rang out in the NASCAR community. Despite officials citing high costs and the lure of potential new manufacturers to the sport, drivers like Denny Hamlin were adamant. In March, the JGR driver opined that raising the horsepower was just “one phone call” away.

Now this enticing demand has stirred renewed interest in the event of the Michigan race. Even as the FireKeepers Casino 400 race is delayed, memories of the same race 10 years ago have emerged. Significantly, NASCAR officials did not shy away from experimenting with high horsepower back then, something that Denny Hamlin would love.

A statement came from Nascarman’s X account that read, “August 18, 2014: One day after Jeff Gordon won at Michigan, NASCAR held a special test session at the track, trying high horsepower and small spoilers. It was said that cars were reaching 225+ mph into turn 1. 🤯”

For sure, the incredible speeds were jaw-dropping back then, especially during the qualifier. The track record at Michigan International Speedway fell four times until Jeff Gordon finally snatched the crown at 206.558 mph. 32 of the 43 cars qualified better than 200 mph, and the laps turned were the fastest since the pre-restrictor plate era in the mid-1980s. Eventually, Jimmie Johnson went on to win the final race, while horsepower advocate Denny Hamlin clinched 11th place.

Despite the staggering speed, Jeff Gordon confessed that he did not feel the difference. “I know that I’ve gotten a tremendous amount of throttle in it and I’m carrying a lot of speed, but at the same time, when you’re carrying that much speed through the corners you don’t feel like you’re going that fast down the straightaways. There’s not a big acceleration or change.” Remembering that thrilling time, NASCAR fans are all riled up to harp on this demand again.

Horsepower invades the debate again

In March this year, a lot of drivers joined Denny Hamlin’s vocal demand for horsepower. “We want more horsepower,” said two-time Cup Champion Joey Logano. Kevin Harvick even stretched the demand to 1000 hp. So now, while remembering Jeff Gordon’s 2014 dizzying speeds, fans are back to demanding high hp once again.

“This is the nascar I want,” one fan commented. Another fan recalled the drastic reduction in hp over the years: “10 years later we have strayed so far 🥲” Somebody else drummed up hopes: “This is my wet dream. High horsepower and low down force.”

Others projected their opinions with reservations. One fan commented that the prospect sounds nice, but NASCAR’s technical problems are too deep to allow it. “Hey thats pretty good, shame reasons they can’t actually do it for real.” 

Others believe this would be too intense for some, as high horsepower comes with a high margin of risk. “This would be cool to see, but you can’t have Cody Ware, Corey LaJoie, or Spinhouse on the track at those speeds. Major safety issue.” Another fan shuddered at the thought: “Imagine the insanity of this package being used in a real race.”

The safety factor also comes up, especially after the terrifying crash in Xfinity. Ryan Sieg’s car flung in mid-air and took a spin before landing on the ground. So one fan ridiculed the demand for more horsepower: “They sent someone to space wrecking at 165 yesterday and people are seriously asking if they’re gonna let them reach 220+ again lol. Especially with the NextGen that has goofy air physics once it slightly gets off the ground.”

Despite the mixed responses to Jeff Gordon’s story, the horsepower debate is back again. For now, we can focus on the 2024 Michigan race and see through its completion.